Well stated, Clayton.
Allow me the audacity to add "Stokes' corollary" to "Barker's
law":
Language that is 100% true to life cannot be anything other than poetic.
(Now that I think about it, didn't Aristotle already write something
to that effect? Never mind; it's the idea that matters.)
Wish I could have been there to hear the whole speech. I, for one,
could use that kind of encouragement.
My congratulations to Michael, and my thanks to you for sharing this with us.
John
Quoting Clay Stromberger <CSTROMBERGER(a)MAIL.UTEXAS.EDU>DU>:
For those of you not able to be there yesterday, we
can report that
Winedale alum Michael Barker, looking quite distinguished and almost
giddy (or dizzy?) at times in his mortarboard and academic robes,
knocked one out of the Erwin Center with a great commencement
address to all the College of Communication graduates and assembled
family and guests. Doc looked equally grand as he sat onstage with
the deans and faculty and provided that extra gravitas that only a
veteran of many such ceremonies can bring (though inside sources
confirm that even while onstage Doc was scheming on how to slip
Michael's speech out from the yellow file folder the honoree was
clutching somewhat anxiously -- never could quite distract Michael
enough to pull it off).
There were plenty of wonderful Michael moments as he touched on the
notion of the "transformative moment" and told of the encounters
that helped shape his path, from landing at Winedale to meeting his
wife Betsy (he recounted the day, the time, the place!) to being a
student of the great Stella Adler to a dreamlike walk down the
Yellow Brick Road (metaphorically and almost literally, as "Oz" had
been filmed there) on his first trip with partner Tom Bernard to the
soundstages of the major studios in L.A. to make the leap to
forming Sony Pictures Classics.
His message to the kids: Nurture your desire, don't give up, be
generous, learn to accept failure (he recounted an SPC flop that did
this for him, finally) and -- be brave. Among my favorite lines:
first, what I'm going to call Barker's Law (with apologies to that
other brilliant Michael we know), his summation of what he learned
at Winedale, that language could be "poetic and 100% true to life...
at the same time," and second, at the closing, a quote from his
successful and mostly self-taught father, who would worry aloud
behind Michael's back long ago: "I wonder if seeing all these
movies will ever amount to anything for the boy." "Here I am,"
Michael said simply, gesturing to the all surrounding him in the
packed Drum. Yep!
Inspiring stuff from an inspiring guy.
Well done Michael! Speaking for the Winedale cheering section there
yesterday, and I'm sure for all on this list too, we are proud of
you and honored to count you as a friend and a fellow player.
cs
_______________________________________________
Winedale-l mailing list
Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/winedale-l